Israeli hostage calls for prisoner swap in new Hamas video, warns of rising death risk

Hamas's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, on Wednesday published a video showing an Israeli hostage calling for an immediate prisoner exchange, marking a fresh attempt to push for negotiations amid ongoing hostilities.

In the footage, the hostage identified himself as Omri Miran, saying he had been held for a year and a half in the Gaza Strip. Miran was abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, during Hamas's cross-border attack into southern Israel. He recently turned 48, his second birthday spent in captivity.

"I passed my second birthday here and couldn't celebrate. There is no joy, only fear," Miran said in the video, recorded under unclear conditions. He urged Israeli authorities to pursue a swift prisoner exchange deal, warning that hostages face the risk of being killed in Israeli air strikes.

"We live under the constant threat of bombardment, and without a deal, we may return in coffins," he said.

Miran directed his message at the Israeli public, urging mass protests outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is killing us. Only a prisoner exchange will bring us home," he said, adding that supporters of the prime minister "do not care about our fate."

He also appealed to former hostages who have been released to speak out on behalf of those still detained, citing deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza. "Crossings are closed, and food and supplies are not entering. We are receiving less food," he said.

Miran's family responded to the video on Wednesday, calling it a "disgrace" that he remains in captivity on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The commemoration of this year began at sunset on Wednesday and will conclude at nightfall on Thursday.

According to Israeli authorities, 59 hostages remain in Gaza, including 58 of the 251 taken during the October 7 assault. The Israel Defense Forces have said at least 35 of those still held are believed to be dead.

Israel's Gaza military campaign resumed on March 18, ending the ceasefire that had largely paused hostilities and saw the release of 33 hostages in exchange for around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.

On Wednesday, Israel pounded Gaza, with rescuers reporting at least 25 people killed, including 11 in a strike on a school-turned-shelter. 

"The school was housing displaced people. The bombing sparked a massive blaze, and several charred bodies have since been recovered," Gaza's civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said of the attack on Yaffa School in Gaza's Al-Tuffah neighborhood.

Talks on a new ceasefire have so far been fruitless, but a Hamas delegation is in Cairo for renewed negotiations with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

Germany, France and Britain on Wednesday called on Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of "an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death."

"We urge Israel to immediately restart a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to meet the needs of all civilians," their foreign ministers said in a joint statement.

(With input from agencies)